Steve wrote in news:4d9d2ba0$0$4163
:

On 2011-04-06 16:01:15 -0400, Han said:

I'm talking about the iPad replacing my laptop. Can it run Word,
Excel, Quicken, Photoshop, or their equivalents?

Yes -- between ilife and iWork, those functions are pretty well
covered. iWork contains Pages, which equates to Word (and will save
files as Word .docs and open .docx), Numbers, which equates to Excel
(and will save files as .xls and open .xlsx), and Keynote, which
equates to Powerpoint (and etc. ...).

If full compatibility with the Microsoft apps files is necessary, then
you'll find Apple's programs miss, but not by much... page geometry in
layouts down with Word breaks (but Word ISN't, no matter how hard the
world tries, a layout program!). Powerpoints with sound generally
remain mute. Excel files are just gonna look different, but most of the
world just uses Excel to build minimally functional databases, not
spreadsheets, don't they?

In terms of a presentation program, Keynote beats the hell out of
Powerpoint, if for nothing else that you can place an image on one
page, change the size and position of the image on the following page,
and marvel that the program animates the transformation on the page
transition. You have to see this to believe it!

iLife contains iPhoto, photo database cum photo editor, iMovie, a
fairly powerful video editor, and Garage Band, a music production tool
that, apparently, really shines on the iPad.

There are 3rd party apps that come closer to Photoshop's capability
than does iPhoto, though iPhoto does a respectable job of the common
photo enhancements like fixing red eye, lightening an underexposed
photo, or improving color in a photo.

Nope, I don't have an iPad. I have used the iWord products pretty
frequently to open files sent by clients using more recent versions on
MS Office apps than I have access to, but I only need the data from
those files, not the client's (generally awful) formatting.

One final benefit of the iPad, regardless of program functionality:
they seem to keep small children quiet and engaged for lengthy periods
of time. Don't you have grandchildren, Han?

You make it sound more and more enticing, Steve!
4 Grandkids, between 15 years and 3 months ...

--
Best regards
Han
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